The fire in the church building in Veghel is under control, but the fire brigade is trying to keep the monumental facade intact at all costs. Shortly after midnight, fire broke out in the building next to the Lambertus Church at 1 Meester van Coothstraat in Veghel. Firefighters suspect fireworks may have caused the fire. No one was injured.
The building was completely on fire from top to bottom due to the strong wind, the flames shot out of the roof. The wind was favorable for the adjacent church. This has not been in danger, reports the North Brabant Security Region.
Firefighters extinguished the building in a controlled manner. The signal for fire master is not yet given, that only happens when there is a safe situation. According to the fire brigade, a witness saw sparks on the roof, so they suspect that fireworks were the cause.
The building that burned down is the congregation chapel behind the Lambertuskerk in Veghel, it dates from the year 1890. The roof and the walls on the side of the building have now collapsed, but the fire brigade is trying to keep the facade upright because of its monumental status. She expects to spend several hours on this.
Pastor removed
Due to the strong wind, there was also a so-called ‘flying fire’. A shower of sparks was released by the wind and precipitated nearby. The fire brigade was afraid that this would cause new fires and therefore patrolled the area as a precaution. The area around the building was cordoned off.
The pastor lives opposite the building, he was removed from his house by the fire brigade for safety.
The building housed a mosque until 2015, which has since moved to Evertsenstraat in Veghel. The building has been empty for a long time, there are said to be plans to establish homes there.
Extinguish at great height
The fire brigade came to the scene with various units from the area and quickly scaled up to a large fire. Tank sprayers, aerial work platforms and car ladders, among other things, were used to extinguish the fire at great heights.
The chapel and the Lambertus Church are located in the center of Veghel, near the Markt. The fire attracted a lot of attention, more than a hundred people stood on the street to watch.
National monument
The church and chapel are national monuments. They were designed by Pierre Cuypers, who also designed the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and a number of other larger churches in the Netherlands.
Video footage on Twitter shows the tower of the building collapsing.
Tags: fire brigade save monumental facade Veghel church building
